Chapter 1
The alarm clock jolts me awake. I slam my fist down on it, pissed that it woke me up so early. Even though I did set it for this time.
I had an appointment to make. My therapist said if I missed another day she'd charge me for it.
I throw the blanket off of me and shamble my way to the bathroom. I turn on the light and immediately regret it. I squint my eyes to keep my corneas from lighting on fire.
As my eyes adjust I look in the mirror. My short cut dark hair tussled from the bomb ass sleep I had last night. Best sleep I've had since that day.
My coffee colored eyes wonder to the top left corner of my mirror. There, stuck between the siding of the mirror is a picture of a beautiful blonde girl with a smile equivalent to looking through the gates of heaven. Her eyes a deeper blue than the bluest of waters. Her lightly toned, sun-kissed skin shining. She is... was my girlfriend. I try to look away but the flash backs come in waves.
...
I was sitting in my cruiser when my radio crackled to life.
"Cpt. Stanley, there's reports of a bank robbery happening on 7th avenue, north." Said Janette, the reporter at the precinct.
"Roger that, inbound to 7th avenue, north." I slammed the cruiser into gear flicked on my siren and lights and barreled down the highway.
Cars merged over to give me room. I looked down at the speedometer. I was going 95 in a 30. I arrived at the bank. It was a Bank of America to be exact. 3 cruisers were already parked outside and the negotiator was already compromising with the suspect or suspects for all I knew. The chief of police was also there.
"Stanley, get your ass over here and find some cover. I ducked under the window of his cruiser and asked for a rundown of the situation. "3 suspects, 12 hostages and gunfire has been heard multiple times from the lobby. Unconfirmed if any hostages have been killed." At this point I became the Jack Stanley that served as a marine in Iraq.
"Any alternate routes into the bank, chief?"
"There's a service hatch that leads into the ducts up by the air conditioning unit, but it's a risk..."
That was as far as he got before I had started making my to the back alley of the bank. That's the one thing I always hated about New York City. There's always a back alley, or "crack" alley as some friends at the precinct and I would call it.
There was a ladder at the end of the alley that snaked to the top of the bank. Mid-climb more shots from inside the bank had pierced the air, then an explosion rocked the entire building and nearly threw me off the ladder.
They busted the vault. I quickly ascended the rest of the ladder and found the service hatch. I slid my fingers through the grate and pulled in one quick motion, the stress was too much for the rusted screws. I turned on the flashlight clipped to the pocket on my shirt.
I looked down into the hatch. There was about a five foot drop to the duct. I'm 6'0, with my arms stretched I'm a good 7'8. I went feet first and slowly let gravity do the work and pull my body down the hatch.
My feet hit the bottom and the thin metal caved outwards a little bit, but didn't give. I squatted into a crouched position and slowly made my way through the ducts.
I came along a grate and looked through the spaces. Two suspects were standing above two burly guys. One of the burly guys was holding the others head in his lap, a pool of blood leaking from an unknown location. It was hard to tell, what I assumed was a white shirt was now blood red.
From a distance I heard "Fuck, Hugo, get your stupid ass over here and help me." The suspect on the right laughed as the one on the left turned around and sulked off into the direction of the voice.
As slowly and quietly as I could I pulled the grate up towards me. I laid it across from the gap I had just opened up. I placed a hand on each side of the gap and lowered myself into the room. The bleeding hostage looked up. His once hopeless and fearing eyes lit up.
The suspect has his back to the hostages. I dropped into the room. I landed on the balls of my feet and bent my knees to reduce the noise.
The suspect was watching as Hugo and the one who called him were shoveling money into 5 oversized duffel bags. I crouched and slowly made my way behind him.
I unholstered my .45 and in one quick motion I stood up, used the force from my sudden propulsion and slammed the butt of my pistol into his temple. He was knocked out immediately.
I caught him under the shoulders and dragged him out of the line of sight of the other two. There was a filing cabinet in the corner of the room I was in, with a desk on the other side, facing the wall.
I pointed to the burly man who wasn't shot and motioned for him to slowly pull out the rolling chair. I peeked around the corner. The two were still shoveling money. Greed was about to be their downfall.
I dragged the knocked out man to the chair, sat him down and quickly folded his arms and laid his head on top of them. As if he was taking a nap.
I looked at the two suspects. The money was almost completely gone. I looked at the two men in the room with me and put a finger to my mouth, signaling for them to stay quite.
I went back to the doorway and put my back against the wall on the right side of it, behind the door, with just enough space to slide out later without making noise.
After a few minutes I heard, "Now go take care of those two ass wipes in the other room and get your asses to the lobby."
The thief walked back into the room and looked at his buddy.
"Oh, come on, Billy. What the fuck are you doing?" He pauses, waiting for a response. "Billy, get up." He says, anger starting to become audible.
He steps further into the room and I come out from cover. As he's walking to Billy I charge behind him and kick hard into his ACL. His knee buckles and he lets out a sharp yelp. Although, he quickly recovered.
He stood up and swung his body with his right arm outstretched. Rookie mistake.
I caught his arm at the wrist, twisted it so his elbow was facing the ground and shoved it upwards with my left hand. I felt the bones separate. His eyes lit up with pain. Before he had the chance to scream I delivered a quick chop to his trachea, and use the arm I already had a hold of to hip throw him.
He landed hard on his back and whatever remaining breath he has in him leaves. A quick punch to the temple renders him unconscious.
The two hostages look up at me. I tell them to stay quiet, they nod and I turn around to head to the lobby. As I near the door I can hear women sobbing and the voices of two men yelling. I slowly make my way to the opened door.
I peeked my head fast, just enough to get a mental picture. The two men were separated, one on each side of the lobby, one boasted a twelve gauge and the other had an MP5.
I seen a familiar face, though. Blonde hair, sun-kissed skin, blue eyes. Lauren. My girlfriend. A look of complete horror on her beautiful face. Next to her stood one of the thieves. My heart felt like it was going to burst through my rib cage.
Anger began to fill every void in my body. I unholstered my .45 and spun out of the corner. I aimed down the sights. Lined up the shot with years of training and sent a bullet through the knee of the closest thief.
He dropped to the ground and screamed bloody murder. Soon enough he wouldn't be screaming it, he would be a visual depiction of it. I ran and kicked his twelve gauge out of his reach.
I turned to my right to line up a shot for the other one but stopped just in the nick of time. He had Lauren in a choke hold with his MP5 against her head. She was crying and mumbling my name.
"Huh, what's that?" The thief holding her asked. "I'm getting some kind of idea that you two know each other."
"If you hurt her, I swear to god I'll make you swallow each and every one of your teeth before you die." I say, anger seeping through my lips like venom. I raise the gun to his head.
"Oh, you don't want to do that buddy." He said. He raised the hand holding Lauren just enough to show me the dead man switch he was holding. "Shoot me and we all go down together."
Time slowed down. My heart thumped. My breathing slowed. I didn't know what to do. The love of my life stood there, in deaths grasp, and I didn't know what to do.
Lauren looked at me and mouthed the words "I love you." Tears swelled in my eyes. She knew I didn't know what to do. She bit his hand. I can't remember if I screamed or if it was the sound of the explosion but it was loud.
Needless to say they both died, including three other civilians. Five more were injured. I was flung against the wall and laid in a coma for 3 days.
...
Now all I have left of her is a picture. I wiped tears from my eyes. I never really cried unless it was over her. I was discharged from the police force, and sent to therapy for any PTSD I may be suffering from.
I brushed my teeth and threw on some clothes and made my way out the door.